Users of mobile and fixed computing devices have various forms and modes of communication to choose from to communicate. Forms of communication include one or more combinations of text, audio, and video, while modes of communication include full-duplex or half-duplex. Services that exist for offering the various forms and modes of communication include SMS (short message service), MMS (multimedia messaging service), IM (instant messaging, e.g., text messaging), and PTT (push-to-talk, e.g., Direct Connect® Walkie-Talkie offered by Nextel Communications Inc.). These different services may operate using fixed and/or radio communication networks employing one or more communications protocols (e.g., POTS, ISDN, CDMA, GSM and IP).
These different forms and modes of communication allow users to communicate using a variety and combination of styles that require different levels of commitment by the user. For example, full-duplex communication is more user-intrusive and requires greater attention than half-duplex communication. This intrusiveness affects communication more profoundly than simply reducing “privacy”; it affects how one manages the process of getting in and out of interactions. Accepting a connection, or allowing a connection to remain open (e.g., as in a conference call), means that it is socially difficult to deny the other parties' demands on attention. (For further background see: Nardi, B. A., Whittaker, S. and Bradner, E., “Interaction and Outeraction: Instant Messaging in Action,” Proc. ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work, ACM, pp. 79-88, 2000 (hereinafter “Whittaker”), and Woodruff, A. and Aoki, P. M., “How Push-to-Talk Makes Talk Less Pushy,” Proc. ACM SIGGROUP Conf. on Supporting Group Work, ACM, pp. 170-179, 2003 (hereinafter “Woodruff”), which are incorporated herein by reference.)
Much of the social difficulty to deny another party's demands on attention appears to result from the nature of a full-duplex communication channel, not from the real-time aspect of the channel or the fact that the channel is “always open” per se. For example, IM operates using “open,” bidirectional channels. Studies of IM use by Whittaker indicate that a key reason why users like IM is that, although the “channel” is open and always available for messages to be sent, information is only passed when messages are actually being sent. Similar results have been seen in studies by Woodruff of the use of half-duplex, “push-to-talk” (PTT) cellular audio communication services. That is, even with an “always open” channel, a channel that limits information transmission to actual messages means that the parties on the other side of the channel cannot “see” back through the channel to determine if a party is present and/or available.
This affordance has come to be known as “plausible deniability”. In IM or IM-like systems, it is more socially acceptable to ignore incoming messages, delay responses to incoming messages, or stop responding to messages in the middle of a conversation. Because of “plausible deniability,” the other parties have no insight into why a response has not come and generally assume that something has come up” (e.g., an appointment, a co-present conversation, etc.) that has resulted in the lack of response. This means that communicative availability is more lightweight when using IM or PTT to communicate as opposed to using a telephone or videoconferencing.
While MMS, IM or PTT afford lightweight communication mechanism, solutions for sharing data that are used with these communication mechanisms are directed to their functionality (e.g., messaging, browsing, etc.) rather than to a user's desire to share an experience (e.g., interactive sharing). Further, such lightweight communication mechanisms do not provide the immediacy often desired in conversations with interactive sharing. To satisfy interactive sharing of data during conversations using such lightweight communication mechanisms, users need to be aware that that their information is being shared with the other users that are communicating through active control of data transmission during their conversation. To do so, sharing must be mutual rather than unidirectional. Further, such sharing must be done by allowing users to position data in an interaction so that their content is visibly relevant within a sequence of contributions. Doing so allows users in a conversation to mutually, rather than unidirectionally, share data, and to direct the focus of their attention throughout the conversation.
Accordingly, there continues to be a need for an improved lightweight communication mechanism for allowing users to have conversations that afford a lower level of commitment than always open systems while enabling users to share an experience while interacting with or referring to data. In accordance with the disclosure herein, there is provided an improved method, apparatus and article of manufacture therefore, for coordinating delivery of multiple streams of data, such as audio and video or combinations thereof, when communicating with another user using user-maintained modes.